


Bad Endings New Beginnings

by georgesjungle2



Category: Sanditon (TV 2019), Sanditon - Jane Austen, Welcome to Sanditon
Genre: F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Love at First Sight
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 09:33:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28990044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgesjungle2/pseuds/georgesjungle2
Summary: Sanditon.  Modern.  A/UOur favorite characters got what they wanted.Sometimes you have to get what you think you want to find out what you don’t want.Short Story.  HEANo burning of buildings :)
Relationships: Charlotte Heywood/Sidney Parker, Clara Brereton/Edward Denham, Eliza Campion/Sidney Parker, Lord Babington/Esther Denham, Mary Parker/Tom Parker (Sanditon), Mr Crowe/Alison Heywood
Comments: 75
Kudos: 142





	1. London-One

London

Sidney looked across the large conference table at the woman he no longer recognized. He had married Eliza when he was young. Mary had told him to wait, a few years at least, finish college and get established before getting married. She had married Tom young, so she was speaking from experience. She could tell Eliza would not be happy that he could not give her the things she was used to.

Sidney sighed and smiled, but a true Parker never really listen to reason, they only listen to their whims of fancy. Tom had built a grand museum in Sanditon. Now, he was looking for his next big thing to bring visitors to Sanditon. The problem was it needed to be something that other places did not have. What that was, he was not sure.

Babington at least was a lawyer and had managed to keep most of his assets and him out of the poor house. Of course, he was disillusioned as well. He thought he had married the woman of his dreams only to find the woman of his dreams was not what he had wanted. Unfortunately for them, it was Crowe would be the one that seemed the happiest of the three friends.

Of course, Crowe had his own problems. He thought he wanted a woman with a little spunk without any strings. Turned out, that glass was half full as well. The only difference was he managed to not have any entanglements with his women. 

Sidney signed the paperwork that Babington put in front of him. Eliza still managed to get his London townhouse and part of his savings, not that she really needed it. She glanced up at her own lawyer, Mr. Campion, one of the better lawyers in London. She had thought she had staged a coup, however Babington graduated at the top of his class.   
He had managed to stay one step ahead of Mr. Campion.

Eliza had argued for spousal support. The argument had fallen on death ears when Babington laid the large envelope of pictures and emails that had accumulated over the years of her affairs. In the end, Eliza only got a small settlement. But she managed to snag Mr. Campion, who was worth quite a bit of money himself. She had managed to land on her feet.

The three gentlemen celebrated Sidney’s new freedom (that had taken longer than the marriage had lasted) at Sam’s tavern afterwards. “Well, now what?” Crowe said as he waved to Sam to bring a round of drinks.

“A well-deserved holiday, if you asked me,” Babington mumbled after taking a drink. “I don’t think I’ve worked a case this hard since I graduated.”

“You wouldn’t know a hard day of work if it gave you a full kiss on the lips,” Crowe crooned at his friend. Sidney chuckled.

“Oh, I think he would know, he just wouldn’t know what to do with it.” Sidney added the quip, knowing Babington had not been in a decent relationship himself for a few years.

“You’re one to talk,” Babington mumbled back at him with a glare.

“Please, the both of you are in the same ship. The only one that still has it, is me,” Crowe said with a glee. “Unlike you, I keep up with regular exercise.”

Sidney and Babington rolled their eyes at their friend.

“I thought I would spend some time in Sanditon. It’s peaceful compared to all those other resort towns and I’ll get to spend some time with my nieces and nephews.”

“You aren’t worried about getting roped into any grand plans of Tom’s?” Babington asked.

“If I was a betting man, I would say it is a 100 percent chance he is going to get roped into some scheme.” Crowe said.

“You are a betting man,” Sidney said letting out a huff.

Crowe smiled. “I know a good bet when I see it. Unlike you, I make sure I have all my facts first.” Crowe of course was referring to the fact that he had tried to warn Parker that Eliza was not the sweet thing he thought her to be. The problem was he was not thinking with his head, but rather another lower part of his anatomy.


	2. Sanditon-One

Sanditon

Charlotte smiled at Mary who sat across from her as they sat in the Sanditon Café. They had met at the local bookstore ran by Mrs. Griffiths and her two nieces, Julia and Phillida.   
Charlotte was in town for the summer, staying with a friend from college.

“Has Esther arrived?”

“Yes, she is at home unpacking for the summer. I hope she can sit still long enough. She just got back from her tour of the canals of Venice. Before that she swam in the Hellespont,” Charlotte chuckled, “all part of her grand tour after her divorce.”

“Was she married long?”

“No, they divorced after she found out he had gotten another girl, Clara, pregnant. By her counts, he had slept with Clara a couple of weeks before they got married.”

“How ever did she find out?”

“Clara was nice enough to leave the pregnancy test on the bathroom counter for her to find.”

“Horrible,” Mary began to say.

“Yes, but at least her aunt had taken pity on her and paid for her college. She is allowing us to stay at Denham Place for free, although we get to do some remodeling for her.”

Mary’s eyes got large. 

“Oh, nothing too hard, painting mostly. Mrs. Denham is hiring a Mr. Stringer and his crew to do the more technical work like plumbing and flooring.”

“I know Mr. Stringer. He has done work for Tom for years.”

“An older gentleman then?”

Mary laughed. “No, about twenty-eight I believe. His father was in construction and his father before him.”

“A family business then?”

“Yes, I believe I remember him saying when most boys were getting Matchbox cars to play with, his dad was giving him a hammer and some nails.” Mary chuckled. “A fine-looking man as well.”

“I don’t think I asked,” Charlotte mumbled taking a drink of her tea.

“Well, I was just saying. What’s the point of coming to a seaside resort town if not to admire the beauty around us?”

“Mary!” Charlotte said excitingly.

“I’m not dead, Charlotte. Just married with four kids. I don’t have a wandering eye, but I can appreciate a good piece of artwork when I see it.” Mary laughed as Charlotte blushed. “You never know when something impressive might catch your eye.”

“Alison,” Charlotte smiled at her sister as she sat down next to her with her cup of tea. 

“Hello Mary, Charlotte. I am exhausted. I do not know how you handle four children, five if you count Tom, and manage to run the museum. I can barely handle working at the ice cream shop.”

Mary laughed. “Well, your sister should had given you better advice than to pick a job in a seaside resort during the summer that would be that busy.”

Alison smiled. “She did. I just didn’t listen.” Charlotte and Alison laughed. “What news from the Trafalgar house?” 

“I was wondering if you ladies would like to come for dinner. Tom’s brother is coming into town and bringing some of his friends. They are planning on taking some time for a   
holiday.”

“Well, Tom did say that Sanditon had the most refreshing of sea breezes.” Charlotte said with a smile.

“I’ll come, but only if you can talk Arthur into making his strawberry delight.” Alison said with a smile.

Mary laughed. “There is nothing that Arthur would like more than to make dessert.”

“Well, life is short, so why don’t one eat dessert first?” Charlotte asked.

Alison let out a groan. “Wait, you aren’t trying to play match maker again, are you Mary?”

“I can’t help it if you didn’t like Fred.” Mary said then glanced at Charlotte. “Fred is good friends with James Stringer.”

“Do they work together?”

“On some projects. I guess you might want to ask Mrs. Denham if she knows if Fred is going to be helping with the project at Denham Place. I wouldn’t want to make anything uncomfortable for you.”

“Oh, yes, nothing more uncomfortable than a bad date showing up each day where you live.” Charlotte mused.

“It wasn’t that bad. He just had different expectations on what a proper date consisted of.” Alison said plainly.

Mary let out a sigh. “I’d settle for an improper date,” Mary mused trying to remember the last time her and Tom had gone on a date. The girls laughed at her.

“Can we invite Esther?”

“Yes, please. I would like to hear about her travels. For me, it’s exciting to venture to the grocery store without four kids.” The ladies finished drinking their tea and went their separate ways.


	3. London Sanditon Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward reflects on his choices.
> 
> Charlotte, Alison and Esther are over at the Parker's for dinner where it is discovered Esther is very serious when it comes to her ice cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder-in this story, Edward and Esther were not raised as step sibilings.

London-2

Sir Edward Denham let out a sigh glancing over the bank statement on his laptop. For some ungodly reason, he thought that Aunt Denham would had been more charitable on the birth of her great nephew, named Harry in honor of her late husband. Aunt Denham though did not care for the love child to be named after her dead husband.

It was not supposed to work out that way. He had planned on marrying Esther. Well, he did marry Esther. He just did not really plan for things with Clara to get so carried away. How was he supposed to know she worked bachelorette parties for the Lion’s Den? She had zeroed in on the groom to be and between all the liquor consumed prior to the party, he only knew he had to have relief. So, he shagged her. Okay, so he shagged her a few times after that as well. Hell, there had not been a room in the townhouse that he had not shagged her. Thank God that Esther insisted on having a regular cleaning lady while she had been on one of her weekend trips in pursuit of some poet study.

When she had discussed becoming an English Lit major, he only chuckled at her. They always talked about living the life even the poets would be jealous of. He could not get away that weekend she had gone to visit some of the sights around England in connection with poets. He had suggested taking that Heywood girl, Charlotte, that she had met at some book club. For a moment, Edward had thought he might suggest a threesome as much time as Esther spent with Charlotte, but when he had met her in person, he knew the young girl had not had much in the way of experience.

Apparently, Miss Heywood had seen beneath his exterior and could sense a rogue when she saw one. He was fairly sure Charlotte had picked up on things between Clara and him, as Esther had started withdrawing from him before the wedding. The wedding itself lasted longer than the marriage. Esther and he had gone on their separate ways. Of course, Clara had been waiting for him in his bed the day the divorce paperwork was signed. By then, her petite frame had started showing signs of their affair. Aunt Denham had momentarily been excited about him having a child, until he found out it was with Clara.

Aunt Denham had read him the riot act, not that it had any bearing on what he was currently doing. She had simply let him understand her displeasure about his treatment of Esther, his relationship with Clara and refused to acknowledge the child unless he married Clara and stayed married for at least five years.  
Five years did not seem like a long time, until Clara expected him home every night to help with the baby. He had not planned on becoming a father, at least until years down the road. He wanted to travel, not be strapped down. Children were expensive. However, Aunt Denham gave him a small allowance for her great nephew. Sure, he was supposed to be investing the money for the child, but it was too tempting to use the money for his own pursuits.

He could not overly complain. Clara was a good wife. Her libido had waned after the birth of Harry, but most nights he was just too tired to care himself. He had to pick up extra hours to help pay for the additional expenses. Clara’s job was not worth keeping when it came to factoring childcare. However, diapers and formula were not cheap as they found out after their stockpile from the baby shower ran out.

Now though, he was not sure how he was going to manage four more years of this backbreaking work to keep his deal with Aunt Denham. Something was going to need to change and soon. The question was what would it be?

Sanditon-2

Esther looked around her old room. There were a lot of memories there. She was glad Aunt Denham was doing some updating. It would be a fresh blank space to hopefully start over. Grant it, there was not much to start over from. Clara had done her a favor, truth be told, it was just a shame she had not done that before the wedding. Well, she had done that before the wedding. She just did not leave out the evidence until after she had returned from the short honeymoon.

The honeymoon was to be longer, but when they had gotten to the Canals of Venice, Edward’s behavior had made her question everything that she had thought she had known about him. When he had gone out to buy some special wine to celebrate, he had forgotten his phone. She did not find anything on it, but she could not get rid of the eerie feeling. Aunt Denham had gotten sick, so it had been a perfect excuse for changing their honeymoon plans.

Aunt Denham had recovered, despite the doctor’s believing she was in mortal danger, and Edward and Esther had returned to their house in London. She had gone on a weekend trip with Charlotte to return to find the pregnancy test in the bathroom. The problem was it had not been her pregnancy test. They had discussed waiting after they did some European travel. When she had confronted him, he had confessed, and she moved in with Charlotte.

Charlotte and Alison had texted her about dinner with the Parker family. Charlotte had become good friends with Mary which had not been surprised. Charlotte could make friends with a porcupine. Mary had wanted to see pictures from her trip, so she worked on a file that Mary would be able to look through on her laptop and set out a book of sketches she had bought from a young artist named Julia Beaufort on her trip.

The Parkers always lived at the same house for years. She remembered going there on occasion for tea with Aunt Denham as a young girl. When she arrived, Mary greeted her warmly followed by Arthur and Diana. She had managed to still have some chocolates and tea from her travels that she brought along with some fresh flowers for Mary. She was glad to see that Mary was happy.

While they waited for the arrival of Sidney and his friends (which Charlotte had forgotten to mention), Esther went through the pictures with Mary and the children. Tom looked a few times when she mentioned a few things that pique his interest and wondered if it might be something Sanditon could use.

“I don’t know what is taking him so long.” Tom complained after his interest in the photos were over. “You think he would at least call if he was going to be later than he should be.”

“Tom,” Mary said with a sigh. “You know he’s terribly busy. I’m really surprised he’s coming.” Mary had figured with his divorce finalized, Sidney would go spend some time outside of London (and away from Tom). Tom had always did not understand Sidney’s marriage, but Tom had always wanted to see what he wanted to see which was Eliza’s confession of undying love and devotion. Mary had seen how Sidney had worked himself to the bone trying to provide his wife everything she desired.

Just as Mary finished scolding Tom (luckily the children were with the ladies who were entertaining them by playing a game of charades), Sidney walked in along with his friends. Mary had smiled at them, but it was Tom’s voice that rung out his excitement of Sidney’s arrival.

“Sidney!” Tom said with all jubilees. “Mr. Babington and Mr. Crowe, welcome, welcome. Come in, make yourself at home.” Crowe took that meaning to welcome himself to Tom’s well stocked bar in the other room, but he stopped short when he realized they had all walked into a perfectly conceived trap.

“Oh, come in, let me introduce you to our other dinner guests. You already know Arthur and Diana, and the children-Alicia, Jenny, Henry, and James. Then, we have Charlotte and her sister Alison Heywood who are staying with Esther at Denham Place. You do remember Esther, don’t you?”

“I distinctly remember her giving Fred Robinson a black eye that one summer.” Sidney said teasingly.

“Well, he deserved it.”

“What did he do?” Alison asked.

“He ate my ice cream.” Esther replied.

“You gave a guy a black eye for eating your ice cream?” Babington said giving her an inquisitive look.

“I’m very protective of my ice cream.” She said defensively.

“How about strawberry delight?” Alison asked her.

“Does it contain ice cream?” Esther said looking at Arthur.

“Is this going to turn into a violent dinner party?” Crowe asked glancing around.

“It’s too early to determine that,” Charlotte said to Mr. Crowe.

“Not if we eat desert first,” Esther mumbled, and the kids were all agreeing with her that they should eat desert first.

Arthur glanced around as the kids got excited about eating desert first. “Madness!”


	4. Sanditon-3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner doesn't go down without a few hiccups. 
> 
> Babington, Crowe, Esther and Alison head towards the Crown for trivia night while Charlotte and Sidney both go get some fresh air.
> 
> Sidney heads towards his swimming cove & Charlotte has another run in with Fred Robinson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sutro Baths:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sutro_Baths

Sanditon-3

He should had known Mary was up to something when she called and asked him about coming over for dinner once she heard he was coming out for a holiday, especially when she asked if any of his friends were coming. He expected questions like that from Tom. Tom was always trying to get Sidney to bring his influential friends to Sanditon. He like to think of some outrageous idea and then bounce them off them to judge their reaction to determine if it was something he should pursue.

Mary had inquired about Esther’s travels and somewhere it came up about her travel to California for some philosophy conference and she ended up showing Tom some photos about the Sutro Baths, which were a public seawater swimming pool complex. With new innovations in geothermal heating, something like that could make heating the water more economical, not to mention swimming in heated water in the off season meant more tourists.

There were some discussions on the merits of indoor swimming-mostly about the increase of shark attacks, which dismayed the children despite there had not been any of late in the area. Along with being able to swim when the sun went down, better security for little ones that were just learning how to swim to keep from being pulled out by the current and the fact it would bring tourism to Sanditon.

After the children were calmed down from the thoughts of sharks lurking in Sanditon (sharks were not permitted in Sanditon any more than gales were), the topic of conversation went to philosophy and Sidney’s favorite topic, Heraclitus. Most of the adults sat back and watched the topic debate between Charlotte and Sidney go from peaceful discussion to   
Charlotte not being able to discern herself from truths to her own opinions.

Unfortunately for Sidney, his little debacle had ended badly as Mary scolded his behavior with her guests and Arthur’s desert had gone from to a cup with a coffee to being boxed up to go. Babington was upset with him as well as he had been having a verbal warfare with Esther. In fact, Babington was determined to walk the ladies to their house to ensure they got home safety. He was after all, a true gentleman. Crowe had simply followed Babington as he was in pursuit of entertainment in the bar whereas Sidney had gone off for fresh air and exercise. In other words, Sidney Parker was going swimming in his private cove.

Charlotte was still fuming about her debate with Sidney Parker that they had not gotten a few steps away from Trafalgar House that she determined she was not ready just yet to return to Denham Place and headed towards the beach herself (unknowing that Parker had already set off in that direction). 

“Will she be alright?” Babington asked the others.

Allie laughed. “She’s used to walking the campus at night alone in London. I think she can manage walking in Sanditon. She also carries pepper spray if that makes you feel better. We’ve been in town for about a week, so she’s comfortable around here.” Allie looked at Esther. “Do you think they are still having trivia night at the Crown? It is rather early.”

Crowe’s ears perked up. “Absolutely my way of thinking Miss Heywood. Are you any good at trivia?”

Alison smiled over at Crowe. “I can hold my own.” She glanced over at Esther. “A couple of rounds?”

Esther shrugged her shoulders. “I guess. Let us put Arthur’s desert up first though. I don’t want to carry it all over town with my laptop.”

They made a short stop at Denham Place and Babington glanced around. “What’s going on here?”

“My aunt is doing some remodeling. She hopes to rent the place out this fall.”

“You are looking at the painting crew,” Allison said cheerfully.

“Do you live in London then?”

“In between places right now.” Her aloofness intrigued Babington, who was used to women always doing a lot of unnecessary chatter. She did not try to pick him apart nor did she do one of those weird mating dances like birds did, fluffing out their chest and feathers to attract a mate. If anything, she was wearing an invisible sign that he managed to pick up on that was reading ‘Take A Hint.’

Of course, for Babington, it only increased his curiosity. He seen Crowe give him some curious glances (that leaned heavily into saying silently he would have better luck howling at the moon), but Babington just kept trying again. He decided to retreat just a few moments until at least they got to the Crown. He was not about to be put off just yet.

He was gracious to buy the first round and was surprised that Esther had elected for a straight up coke. Sam wandered over towards their table bringing their drinks instead of the usual waitress.

“Well, I had no idea you would be in town Ms. Denham,” Sam said with a smile.

“Last minute decision. Aunt Denham wanted my help with Denham Place. What are you doing in Sanditon?”

“The usual. The Mrs. decided she needed a holiday, so I had swapped managing the Silver Star in London for this place.” He looked at her friends. 

“This is Allison Heywood. She is staying at Denham Place with her sister, Charlotte.”

“Ah, I know Charlotte. She managed to talk the Mrs. into buying several extra books the last time she was in the bookstore.”

“Well, she is an English Lit major.”

“Yes, well that’s her forte.” She glanced at the gentlemen. “Sidney Parker’s friends, Mr. Crowe and Mr. Babington.”

Sam nodded his head towards them in greeting. “Well, best of luck.” Sam wandered off talking to other patrons as well. It was not overly crowded, but it was just enough to have a good turnout for trivia.

“I don’t think trivia night goes as well at the Silver Star,” Alison commented during one of their breaks. The gentlemen had disappeared towards the loo.

“Not much else to do in Sanditon,” Esther said glancing around.

“Looking for me?” Esther glanced up and recognized Fred Robinson instantly, who was grinning at her.

“Does anyone go looking for a pebble to put in their shoe?”

He laughed and looked at Alison. “Hello, Alison. How did you get roped into perusing the bar with Esther?”

“I am not perusing.” Esther quipped irritated that Fred would come up to her.

Fred did a short glance around and leaned closer to Esther. “Well, you aren’t now, are you?” He gave her a devious grin.

“No, she is not.” A voice rang out over her shoulder as Babington arrived back. “And you are sitting in my chair.” Esther pursed her lips together to keep the laugh in from Fred’s face.

Fred looked up curiously and then back at Esther. “Who’s the stiff?”

She smirked at Fred, “my knight in shining armor.” Fred gave him another good look and let out a huff.

“Well, when you are ready for a guy that knows how to use his hands, let me know.” He gave Babington another look and walked off out towards the door.

“Who was that?” Babington said as he took his seat back over while Crowe had gone to order another round of drinks.

“Fred Robinson.” Alison answered.

“Is he always,”

“Friendly? Absolutely. His date with Charlotte went just as spectacular.” Alison said cheerfully.

“Charlotte went on a date with Fred?” Esther asked.

“Mary set her up with a blind date. Apparently, there was some confusion as to what that entailed though.”

“I can only imagine,” Esther mused, shaking her head.

Babington glanced at Esther and raised his brows at her. “So, I’m your knight in shining armor?”

“Don’t get your panties all twisted. I was just trying to get rid of him.”

“Who says he is wearing any?” Crowe crooned as he joined them back at the table, which they all laughed.

Cove-1

Charlotte walked angrily towards the beach. Sidney Parker was irritating, moody and his self-importance was just made the package complete. His photo in the gallery of a smiling Sidney Parker with his nieces and nephews was a far cry of the actual man. Of all the people to actually have similar book interests with!

When they first began speaking about Heraclitus, Charlotte was excited to find someone who was well versed with him. Somehow the topic got around to relationships, and bam, Mr. Parker basically called her naïve, inexperience (somewhat true) and out of touch with reality. He basically told her to get her nose out of Pride and Prejudice and get more in tuned with the real world.

“Insufferable man,” Charlotte mumbled to herself as she removed her outer garments to take a quick dip in the sea water. She always wore her swimsuit out in the evenings as she always enjoyed a brisk swim before calling it a night. Where and when else was she ever going to get the chance to stay all summer at a seaside resort town?

So far, she was not impressed with the men of Sanditon. First, there was that terrible blind date with Fred Robinson, who had thought to go from attending a book reading to shagging in his car in sixty seconds. Was there some sort of underlying meaning to the book club she did not know about? Then, the other day, there was a Mr. Howard who was giving her a good appraisal as he walked around the bookstore with his cup of coffee. He had made some backhanded comments about her being fresh and of well stock as his eyes glazed over her work attire. It had made her body crawl and she went home to take a hot shower afterwards to shake off the feeling. Now, Mr. Parker.

Good grief, when she had seen a picture when she first arrived at Trafalgar House, she could not help but notice his good looks. You would have to be a nun not to (although it would take a saint not to be) affected by his presence. Alison had been coy enough to ask if he was single. Recently divorced, although the marriage itself had been over for years, Charlotte had wondered what would cause a woman to divorce him. Mary had quietly mentioned something about an unfaithful partner. Charlotte wanted to know what the other guy looked like to make her walk away from Sidney.

Meanwhile, Sidney was not far-off contemplating one of his first public outings as a divorcee in mixed company. It had started off alright, despite not realizing Mary had him walking into a trap, until Miss Heywood started talking about equality of love and affection. He basically asked her straight up about what she could know of relationships at such an age. Blasted Mary for inviting guests and not telling him! What was she thinking?

He stripped naked to jump in the seawater. He relished the bracing exercise to free his mind from this evening. He did not come to Sanditon to get wrapped up in Mary’s match making. He certainly did not invite his friends for the same thing. They were here to have a holiday free from entanglements. He would have to have a word with his sister-in-law. Yes, no more dinner parties with the Heywoods and Ms. Denham. Babington could fight his own battles over at Denham Place if he wanted.

It was late when he finally emerged from the water and got dressed. He would walk along the shoreline to get to the cross over. Unfortunately, his peaceful walk was disrupted by a man trying to man handle a woman on the beach. He cursed as he went running to get involved.

“Come on sweetheart,” the man’s voice drifted over the sand, “it’s just a little kiss.” Sidney hardly believed it was just a little kiss.

“I said unhand me,” the ladies voice was stern and calm in the face of the situation she was in. “You are drunk. Unhand me at once,” she stated once more.

Sidney arrived to pull the lady out of the grip of the assailant, “she said let her go.”

The man tumbled down, laughing. “It was just a little sport, no harm, right Miss Heywood.” He slurred his words out.

Sidney glanced at the man. Fred Robinson. He let out a snort. It figures since they were just talking about him at dinner. It seemed the last few years had not been so kind to him. He turned to check on the lady.

“Charlotte?” Sidney asked puzzlingly as he helped her off the sand as she had fallen when he had gotten in the middle of it.

She gave him a look. She shook off his assistance. “I am quite capable of handling this, Mr. Parker.”

“Oh, yes. You had the situation well under hand. Tell me, how you were going to handle him when he gave you more than a kiss?”

Fred was still laughing at the scene. “No harm Lottie, just a little sport.”

Sidney had the thought of giving Fred a good swift kick. “Shut up Fred.” He turned to watch Charlotte taking some calming breaths before retrieving her clothes to which she quickly put over her swimsuit. “I’ll see you home.”

“I am quite capable of walking home myself, Mr. Parker.”

“Alright, you can walk me home. I could use the protection.” He said wittingly.

“Oh yes, I see the mob heading this way now,” she muttered under her breath.

Sidney bite back a retort but followed her the same. Mary would have his backside if she found out that he let her walk home after Fred had tried to feel her up. The bracing exercise had calmed him down from the dinner conversation. He decided that he best at least make peace with her. He had to catch up to her as she made a beeline towards Denham Place.

“Miss Heywood, could you slow just a bit?” 

She glanced at him. “Having a hard time keeping up?”

He wanted to snap, but he held back. “No, I just want a moment to apologize for my behavior. You were a guest at Tom’s house and I’m afraid I behaved rather ungentlemanly.” Good grief, he needed to stop hanging around Babington.

“You think so?”

He let out a sigh. “I was not aware Mary had invited mixed company.”

“Mixed company?”

“I did not think there would be anyone there other than family. My friends definitely didn’t expect Mary to um,”

“Play matchmaker? Isn’t that one of her favorite past times?”

“She’s pretty terrible at it, isn’t she?” Parker said and Charlotte had to agree at this point. “Please don’t tell her I said that. I love her dearly, but clearly, she is a little rusty.”

“Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me.”


	5. Home is Where the Heart Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aunt Denham is trying to encourage Esther to consider staying in Sanditon
> 
> The ladies meet up with the gentlemen on their walk on the beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! Real life has really been working against me..hopefully to get back to posting more regularly!
> 
> Cheers!

Home is Where the Heart Is

The ladies found their rhythm after a few days after their arrival at Denham Place. Aunt Denham overlooked the formal dining room with a critical eye.

“Well, the paint color is a very nice color.” It was an gray in color. “But I think I should tell Mr. Stringer that I should like some sort of molding and a new light.”

“I thought you were trying to make it more relaxed not more formal.” Aunt Denham rolled her eyes at her niece.

“It’s called a formal dining room for a reason Esther.”

“Oh, yes, for all those dinner parties that are being held.”

“You never know what the future holds. What if you and your friends come for some holiday. It will be a good place to meet.” Esther gave her aunt a look. She knew exactly what the lady was hoping. She would move back to Sanditon and settle down. Esther just pursed her lips together. “I hear Mr. Parker is in town with his friends.”

Esther glanced at Charlotte and rolled her eyes. The true purpose of the meeting. Aunt Denham really wanted to play match maker. “Yes, we met them the other night when we had dinner with Tom and Mary.”

Aunt Denham got a curious look and made herself comfortable in a chair, waiting for the tidbits of information like a good gossip sheet from the 1800s. “Well?”

“I believe they have left to go back to London.”

She heard Aunt Denham let out a huff of air in disappointment. “Well, it is just start of the tourist season. Just keep a civil tongue when you meet someone.” Aunt Denham spoke a little more about what her plans were for the next room in the house, the living room, before she left.

“I suppose you are going to tell me this is going to be a recurring theme?” Charlotte asked. “Why don’t you just tell her you have a boyfriend. Won’t she leave you alone then?”

“Oh, no, then it will be worse. She’ll be planning on a wedding.”

“At least she cares.”

“Yes, I know.” Esther said furlough. “Well, do you want to go look at some lighting fixtures? I think Alison was talking about Chinese food for dinner.”

“Can we take a walk on the beach too?”

“Sure, it’s a nice day outside.”

The three ladies walked from Denham Place to the shoreline. Alison was asking questions about their meeting with Aunt Denham. “James was telling me that the kitchen remodel might take a bit more time than originally planned.”

“I would say I’m terribly upset with that idea, but I would be lying.” Esther commented as her toes squished in the wet sand.

Charlotte laughed at her. “Anything to get out of washing dishes Esther?”

“I just don’t know how people live these days without a dishwasher. It’s the little things in life, you know.”

“Well, while I won’t be upset the kitchen will be close for a bit, there is the logistics and costs of eating elsewhere.”

“Could we eat at Aunt Denham’s?” Charlotte asked.

Esther laughed at Charlotte. “Oh, so you want to be Aunt Denham’s next match making victim?” Charlotte kicked some water towards Esther. “Certainly, we can live off the microwave for a few days, can’t we?”

“A few days?” Alison asked Esther. “I believe James said it could be a good couple of weeks and that is if everything goes as plan.”

“I’m sure the three of us can think of something,” Esther began to say when she heard someone call out Charlotte’s name. Esther’s gaze went across the various people out on the shoreline and landed on three familiar faces from dinner the other night: Parker, Babington, and Crowe.

Parker looked at Charlotte who had been picking up various seashells as the ladies walked the beach. “Nothing says tourist than collecting a bag of shells.”

“I didn’t realize I was committing some sort of crime, Mr. Parker.”

“Everyone collects shells,” Alison said as she looked at the gentlemen.

“Not everyone,” Crowe crooned. 

“Okay, maybe just those that enjoy walking on the beach, Mr. Crowe.” Alison contradicted him as he walked with socks and sandals in the sand. “Maybe, you need to learn to live a little.”

“I can assure you, I know how to live, Miss Heywood,” Crowe crooned at her. “I could be giving you lessons.” He ended that statement with a sly grin.

“Like you stand a chance of that happening,” Alison quipped back on him and kept walking with Crowe following her.

“Haven’t you ever been taught you need to try something at least once before deciding you don’t care for it?"

“I believe that statement was generally meant for the various vegetables my mother was trying to get me to eat, not for situations that would require getting a rabies shot.” Alison said barely glancing at him.

“Shots fired,” Crowe said teasingly. “I’ll have you know I have all my required shots and have a clean bill of health.”

Alison rolled her eyes. “I didn’t realize you were up for adoption.”

“Why, Miss Heywood, I do believe we are well on our way of becoming vast friends. Where are you off in such a hurry?”

“Some of us do have to work for a living, Mr. Crowe.”

“And just where would that be?”

She gave him a frowned look.

“I’m curious. I’m not going to cause trouble.”

“Why do I seriously doubt that?” Alison said with a pointed look. “I work in the ice cream shop at Sea Breeze Resort.”

“That old place?” Crowe commented. It had been one of the first resorts in Sanditon that the Parker’s owned before Parker had married Eliza. It had also been one of the things that Eliza had convinced Parker to get rid of when they first had gotten married. Tom could not afford the upkeep and it ended up being sold after the bank collected on it.

“Lady Denham bought it and had it refurbished.”

“I don’t know if that was a wise investment.”

“How could a beach side resort not be a wise investment?”

“I don’t suppose you realize Sanditon is not as popular as Brighton or Bath.”

“No, but Tom did build a very nice museum and with the right draw, Sanditon could become a viable tourist destination.”

“I suppose you have some ideas on that?” Crowe asked her.

“Not me.” She looked back towards Charlotte who was in conversation with Parker. “Ideas are Charlotte’s forte.”

“So, just what are all the seashells for Miss Heywood?” Parker asked as he stepped in line with Charlotte.

“Are you trying to decide if there is a way for Tom to make money by selling them?”

Sidney laughed. “Trust me, when Tom runs out of ideas to make money, you will be the first to know.”

“He does seem to be struggling with how to increase tourism in Sanditon.”

“A temporary setback, I can assure you. The Sea Life Museum took a lot out of him,” Sidney said looking across the sea thinking about what Mary had said to him yesterday when he came by to visit. “He lost his primary investor,” which of course had been Sidney and Eliza, but with the dissolution of their marriage, Sidney had to sell that investment. Luckily, Otis Molyneux was heavily interested in such a museum as he had been raised on the water. “Have you been there?”

“I have not. I’m afraid most of our days have been painting, although the kitchen remodel will be starting soon which will give us a few weeks to do other things.”

“And just what would that be?” He asked her inquisitively.

“Good question, Mr. Parker. I’m afraid you just interrupted our conversation on what we were going to do the next few weeks since our kitchen will be out.”

“You could grill outside,” Sidney said politely.

“Yes, well, I don’t think you understand the depth of the project. James said we won’t even have water or electricity for some of the remodel.”

“You could stay at Sea Breeze. Doesn’t Lady Denham own it?”

“She only remodeled a handful of the rooms. The rest are still in a gutted state of repair. Esther says we could eat there with her aunt, but she would rather not be so dependent on her aunt. Esther has tried some of the other local hotels, but they are actually booked.”

Parker glanced back at Babington, who was trying his best to impress Esther, and let out a sigh.

“You could stay at Parker Place.”

“Parker Place?”

“My house.”

“Aren’t you staying there?”

Parker laughed. “Well, yes, but there are five bedrooms, and we will only be here for a couple more days before we have to go back to London for work.”

“How would that even work?”

He gave her a wiry look. “Well, you and your sister could double bunk or, well,” he looked back again at Babington, “I could state the obvious.” Charlotte glanced back and found Esther actually smirking at Babington. “In return, you and your friends could cook dinner for us poor bachelors for a few days.”

“Won’t we cramp your mojo?”

Sidney smirked at her. “Oh, no. No mojo. We came for a relaxing holiday not any entrapments. Having additional guests will keep the swooning ladies at bay.”


	6. The Mouse Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gentlemen find out Parker invited some additional houseguests.
> 
> Crowe decides to get the intel to ensure he wins his bet.
> 
> Charlotte gets caught off guard.

The Mouse Trap

Crowe looked at Parker as if he lost his mind. “You invited them to stay here?”

Babington let out a grin towards Parker. “Best idea you had since you decided to unshackle yourself.”

“Babington, you couldn’t be more obvious than if you were a bus plastered with an advertisement.” Crowe crooned.

“What can I say? I believe you said I was a little rusty. This will give me an excellent opportunity to prove you wrong.” Babington quipped at Crowe and Sidney as they looked around Parker’s open concept living room/dining room/kitchen, currently showing the remnants of a late night.

The three gentlemen let out a sigh. “Well, I guess we should make the place at least presentable.” Parker said as they started picking up the bottles laying around the table. 

“On the bright side, between the three of them, one of them should at least be able to cook.” Crowe grumbled.

Babington laughed at Crowe. “Oh, how high the bar has been set in your old age.”

Crowe gave him a glare. “Not all of us can afford to have a full staff to cater to our every whim twenty-four seven.”

Parker grinned at Crowe, “well he doesn’t have a full staff. I believe there is at least one vacancy not catering to his every whim.” This got a snicker out of Crowe.

Babington gave them a teasing glare. “A temporary situation I can assure you.”

“Pretty optimistic wouldn’t you say Parker. Care to make a wager?” Crowe said gleefully.

“Do you think there’s a hot tub?” Alison asked Charlotte as they packed a bag.

“I hope so,” Charlotte replied. “Maybe Esther knows.”

“Esther knows what?” Esther asked as she came into their room to check on their status of packing.

“You think there’s a hot tub at Parker Place?” Alison asked her.

“I think you are going to find Parker Place the equivalent of a five-star hotel.” Esther said plainly. “The Parkers having everything top of the line.”

“Champaign taste with a beer budget?” Alison asked.

“Well, Tom at least. Sidney actually has done well for himself, although he worked himself like a dog to give his x-wife a lifestyle fit for royalty.”

“What do you know about his x-wife?” Charlotte asked Esther.

“Eliza. Extremely high maintenance. Eddie tried to date her, and she loved the idea of someone with a title. Eddie though could not keep up with her. She got her hooks into Parker, but he was not keeping up, so she found someone that could. Not a very pleasant person.”

“Mary said something. I wondered what the other guy looked like.”

“Mr. Campion? Alright for an older guy I guess, but do not be fooled. It was the pounds in the bank account that was the attraction.”

“How do you know all this?” Alison asked.

Esther snickered. “I’m a double major. I interned at Worchester Investment Group. Mr. Campion just happened to be one of the clients I was required to review.” Esther looked at them. “I got a few more things to pack. Are you sure you really want to go there?”

“Parker offered!” Charlotte said defensively.

“Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alison asked. Esther gave her a deadpan look. “Wait, you aren’t suggesting there’s an unspoken agreement?”

Esther let out a chuckle. “Oh, there’s something unspoken alright. Just best know what your answer is going to be before you get the proposition.”

Charlotte looked at Esther as she walked towards the door. “Wait! What’s your answer?” Esther gave her a sly smirk, shrugged her shoulders, and walked out the door.

Esther was in the dining room looking over some drawings that Stringer had brought with him when Fred came in. “You remember Fred?” James said looking at his slightly older friend.

“Of course,” Esther said politely. 

Fred gave her a big smile. “James, Eugene had some questions he wanted to discuss with you in the kitchen.”

“Oh, alright mate.” James looked at Esther. “I’ll be right back Esther.”

Fred waited until James left before he came looking over her shoulder. “I didn’t know you were going to be in town all summer.” He looked at the drawings. “Going to be nice when it is done.”

“It will be.”

“I didn’t know you knew Charlotte.”

“Well, I do.”

“My offer still stands from the other night.” Fred said with an expectant look and grin. 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Esther replied to humor Fred.

Like bloody hell you will, Babington said internally as he walked into the conversation. “Ms. Denham,” Babington said as he came through the doorway to the formal dining room. 

Fred glanced at him, but Babington noticed Fred kept his hand on her shoulder. Esther looked at Babington.

“What are you doing here?” Fred said ditheringly.

Babington was clearly glaring at Fred. “What do you think I’m doing here?”

James arrived interrupting the current situation. “Fred!” He was not quite sure there was not going to be a brawl in Esther’s dining room. Fred was a walking powder keg these days. Fred dragged his gaze away from Babington long enough to look at James. “Eugene is ready to go.”

Esther felt Fred increase slight pressure before taking his hand off to walk away. “See you around Esther.” He said as if nothing was amiss. He turned to look at her before he left the room though. The look was a reminder that the invitation was still open. “Talk to you later James.”

Esther bit back a laugh at Babington’s overzealous behavior. Not that there had not been a bit of history between Fred and her, but it was ancient history. If it be anyone other than Fred, she might feel flattered, but Fred flirted with everyone and more so if he either knew you or if he really knew you.

“James, this is Sidney’s friend Mr. Babington. Mr. Babington, James Stringer, my aunt’s architect.” 

James tilted his head towards Babington. “Mr. Babington.” James looked at Esther. “Charlotte says you will all be out of the house for a bit?”

“Yes, I’ll be by during the day here and there, so you guys can come and go.” She slid him an extra key. “So, you won’t need to wait for me.”

James picked up the key and gave her a grin. “Why Esther, you are full of surprises.” Babington cleared his throat and James gave him a funny look.

“Yes, well I better not find random crew members up in my house after this little project is done.”

“Well, I won’t make any one hundred percent guarantees, but it won’t be because I leant out the key.” James smiled. “Well, if you don’t have any questions, I will get back to the crew.” Esther gave him a polite smile and then he was off.

Alison could not believe the size of her room, even if she were sharing it with Charlotte. When Esther said it would be like staying at a five-star hotel, well this was way more than that. Charlotte had gone with Sidney to get things to cook a proper meal for six adults. Esther was with Babington and that thought made her flush. Babington offered to give her a tour of the house and well if she interpreted the look, he was giving her, it was going to start somewhere upstairs.

Alison quickly got her bathing suit on. Parker Place did have a hot tub and it was top of the line. She was going to enjoy every moment of this little vacation. She was comfortable as she laid in the lounge seat with her sunglasses, listening to the radio that was Bluetooth connected to her Spotify. She was silently blessing Mary for inviting them to dinner when she heard someone get in besides her. She looked over the top of her sunglasses and found Mr. Crowe joining her.

“I hope you don’t mind, but it was getting a little much inside.” A polite way of saying he was sure Babington was laying it on Esther and right now they both had their clothes on. No telling where it would end up later tonight when it got dark, although Crowe knew where Babington hoped it would end up. Well, he was not going to give up fifty pounds without rocking the boat. He just needed to figure out how to poke the bear. What better way to find out how to poke the bear, than to get the 411 from someone who had no idea what was going on.

Crowe looked at Miss Alison. She was young, but the better question really was, just what her experience level was. “So, how are you enjoying Sanditon Miss Heywood?”

“I think you can call me Alison. I am enjoying it very much.”

Crowe leaned back in his spot. “Well, see I knew we would be good friends. You can call me Crowe.”

“Your first name is Crowe?”

He gave her a sly grin as he leaned towards her seductively. “Well, no, but” he leaned towards her, “I wasn’t aware you were wanting to be great friends.”

Alison blushed but she laughed. 

“What is so funny?”

“Does that line actually work on anyone?”

“It has worked fine up until now.” Crowe mumbled leaning back into his spot. “Alright. Why don’t you tell me more about the ladies of Denham Place?”

Alison glanced at him and they began a conversation getting to know each other.

Charlotte glanced at Sidney as he pushed the cart. They looked domesticated as they walked around the store together. She caught the looks the ladies were giving Parker.

“You must not go shopping in London.”

He glanced at her as she handed him some fresh vegetables to put in the cart. “I don’t necessarily go grocery shopping, but I do go shopping. Why?”

She gave him a furled eyebrow look. “How do you deal with all this attention?”

He laughed. “Yes, well maybe I should clarify. I generally only go to the tailor’s and there are not many women there. Everything else is handled by a staff.”

She let out a slight huff. “Sounds rough.”

“Have you thought that maybe I would like to go shopping?”

She gave him a look of disbelief. “Guys do not like to go shopping.”

He laughed. “Trust me, Babington is a clothes horse. The guy loves to go shopping.” Crowe liked shopping if it involved two things-liquor and women. “Esther will be one lucky girl.”

“What?”

“You saw the look he was giving her on the beach. Trust me, he will undoubtedly lavish on her.”

“I don’t think she cares to be a kept woman.” What woman did not want a man to spend money on them? “Hmm.” He did not outrightly disagree with her, but she heard the light   
rebuff. “Shouldn’t a good relationship be based on mutual love and affection?”

“I do believe we already had this conversation.” He said as he followed around and ignored the looks the other ladies were giving him. 

“Oh yes, I have not forgotten. I just figured you really weren’t paying attention.” She said uppity at the end.

“I didn’t realize you were the leading expert of relationships.”

“And you are?” She challenged him.

“I’ve had a few.”

“Obviously.” She replied.

“And you?” She stopped to look at him.

Why was he even asking? Did not he say on the beach they were not there for any attachments. Oh God, Charlotte thought to herself. Was this his proposition for a few days of no strings attached?


	7. Hot Tub Madness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowe is sitting in the hot tub with Alison while Babington and Esther are playing a round at the billiard table.

Hot Tub Madness

Alison had no idea what happened. Well, not exactly a true statement. She did know it happened; she just had not expected it to happen to her. There they were, her and Crowe, getting to know each other, laughing, joking and the next the man had gone off the deep end.

He had tossed his shorts off the side and tub and exclaimed, ‘that’s better!’

“Have you lost your mind?” Alison exclaimed at him glad he was sitting on the opposite side of the tub.

“Trust me, I am in complete control,” he mumbled back towards her as he took another drink. “Don’t be missish. Once you have gone sans bare in a hot tub, you won’t ever go back.”

She looked at him. “Are you drunk?”

“No more than usual,” Crowe crooned enjoying himself now as he tormented the young lady. “Not going to take your own advice?”

“My own advice?”

“Yes, live a little, Alison. I am not a predatory stalker. I simply enjoy sitting in the hot tub naked and as Parker isn’t here to lecture me, I am taking advantage of it.” Alison gave him a look of disbelief. “Besides, I can assure you, you have nothing that I haven’t already seen.” He decided to goad her.

Alison looked at him. “You of course are assuming that I care to sit naked in the hot tub with you.”

“I come highly recommended.”

“I didn’t realize you were handing out calling cards.” She quipped back at him. She was glad the water was a bit hot which allowed her to convince herself her cheeks were red from the water temperature and not the naked man sitting across from her. 

He laughed. “No calling cards needed. I prefer to do my own personal recommendations.”

Alison rolled her eyes. “Well, sorry to disappoint. I’m not interested.” Alison got up to leave as the timer had gone off for the jets. Without the bubbling of the water, she got far more view than she wanted.

Crowe just simply grinned. “Well, it’s never too late to change your mind.” He said to her departing backside as she walked into the loft. Crowe leaned back. Well, that was interesting, he thought to himself.

Babington watched Esther lean over to take her shot. When she found out there was a billiards table upstairs, she was inclined to play a round. There was not anything else going on as they were waiting for Sidney and Charlotte to get back from the store and neither of them were inclined to go running towards the hot tub.

“When you said you weren’t bad, I didn’t realize you were trying to swindle me out of my money.” Babington said teasingly.

“Maybe, you are a little rusty.”

“Hopefully, it will be like riding a bicycle. Once I get my bearings, it should go alright.” Of course, he was talking about relationships and not billiards. “What’s the story about   
Fred?”

“Fred?”

“Yes, Sidney says he got a little aggressive with Charlotte on the beach and he was in your house.”

Esther let out a sigh as she got her pool stick ready to take another shot. “Had a bad couple of years after his divorce. Typically, he’s just a big flirt.”

“You don’t think Charlotte was in any danger?”

“Well, I haven’t exactly been keeping tabs on the guy so hard to say what he’s like these days.”

Babington contemplated things, then took his shot. “And?”

“And what?” Esther said as she took her turn.

“What’s your history, or were you married to him?”

Esther laughed. “Married to Fred Robinson? Have you met my aunt?”

“Can’t say that I have. Does she hold some sort of sway?”

“She practically raised me when my parents died. So, yes, she believes that makes her entitled to act as my parents, which extends on who she thinks I should be seen with.” She took her last shot, putting the eight ball in the correct pocket. “Seems like I win.”

He gave her a smirk. There had been no doubt she was winning either way. A text notification beeped on his phone. “Sidney says they are almost back and could use some extra hands.”

“Well, led the way Babington. I might get lost.”

“My room is directly across if you do.” He gave her a sly smile as he led the way downstairs.

Alison went into the loft and headed towards her room. She passed Babington and Esther coming down the stairs as she did. “What’s wrong Alison?”

Alison looked at Babington briefly then over to Esther. “Crowe apparently likes to sit naked in the hot tub.” They both heard Babington mutter an obscenity under his breath. 

“He didn’t try anything,” Babington asked trying to figure out if he could reasonably kill his friend without ramifications, especially if he screwed this up.

“No, but it certainly made it awkward.”

Babington let out a sigh and went to go yell at his friend. Esther gave Alison an amused look after he departed. “Charlotte is about here. I will go help carry in the groceries while you go change.”

Dinner was a simple affair, although Crowe suffered through a few deep glares from Babington as he randomly picked conversation topics that had absolutely one thing in common: how to ruffle Esther’s feathers.

While she had gone storming off, it was clear that Crowe had managed to successfully get Esther to choose to go for a walk to get out of the house.

Charlotte and Alison had gone off to play billiards as Sidney decided he might need to shock the hot tub after Crowe’s little stint.

“It was glorious,” Crowe crooned at Parker as he looked at his friend. They had decided to sit in the tub instead although Parker told him under no circumstances was, he to remove any further clothing while the other guests were here.

“I imagine you are rather proud of yourself for rocking Babington’s boat.”

“Oh, don’t be unsporting Parker. If they are wound up that tight, then perhaps a weekend with the Terrifying Trio will help loosen them up.”

Sidney let out a sigh. “Mary happens to think well of them, so you will pardon me if I don’t try to send them running for the hills.”

“Aren’t you calling the kettle black? If I remember correctly, you were the one giving Miss Heywood a tongue lashing at Mary’s dinner table.”

“Yes, and I’ve apologized for my ungentlemanly behavior. I shouldn’t have to be apologizing for yours.”

This time Crowe let out a sigh. “Fine. I will apologize for the hot tub incident.”

“And dinner.”

“I’m not apologizing for that. I do not particularly care to hear Babington shagging Esther. I imagine she’s quite the handful.”

“I would wager Babington would prefer you not imagining anything.” Parker said with a straight face before they both started laughing.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
